Art historian Nadine Rojas travels to Venice investigating a legendary violin called "L'ultimo," said to be Stradivari's final creation with the power to make its perfect performers disappear. Her research becomes personal when she learns her fiancé Marco, a talented violinist scheduled to perform at La Fenice, has become obsessed with finding the instrument. After discovering historical documents linking the violin to mysterious disappearances across centuries, Nadine uncovers that Marco has already found L'ultimo and experienced its strange effects. Marco believes the violin creates a doorway to a realm of pure music when played perfectly, and plans to "transcend" during his upcoming performance—even suggesting Nadine join him. The night before the performance, Nadine attempts to remove the violin from their hotel, seeking help from Vittorio Ziani, an elderly antique dealer whose family has tracked L'ultimo for generations. They're intercepted by Professor Baresi, who orchestrated Nadine's involvement to locate the violin for his own ambitions. When confronted at gunpoint on a boat in the Venetian canals, Marco appears unexpectedly to save Nadine, leading to a tense standoff as they debate the violin's true nature and power.